An Everett teenager is in "extremely critical condition" at Massachusetts General Hospital after she was found unconscious outside in the cold early Saturday morning, the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office said.

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The 18-year-old woman, whose name was not released, appeared to be the victim of an assault.

"It's very emotional. It's very upsetting to see a person lying there. It could have been my own kids," said Jeff D'Amico, who found the girl after hearing a scream.

The scream came from D'Amico's niece who discovered the teen at 6:45 a.m. Saturday in the driveway of the family's home at 32 Appleton Street. D'Amico said they have never seen the girl before. At first, he and other family members thought the worst.

"I thought it was someone who passed, right there, meaning they were dead," he said.

"Unfortunately, this may have been an assault on someone who had been drinking with a group of people at a nearby home and who may have been attacked after leaving that party," District Attorney Marian Ryan said.

It's unclear clear how long the girl was unconscious on the asphalt in the below-freezing temperatures.

"Our hope is that we can uncover what occurred to this young lady," said Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie.

Investigators are speaking with people who were with the victim in an effort to learn what led up to the victim being outside and on the ground when she was discovered, Ryan said.